PDP, LP Trade Words Over Ondo Violence

Mimiko Campaign Organisation on Monday alleged that a prominent leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Owo town (name witheld) was the mastermind of the attack on members of the Labour Party in the town on Sunday.

Director of Publicity of the MCO, Mr Kolawole Olabisi, who stated this in a statement, also alleged that the party chief ordered the destruction of the LP office in the town.

Olabisi, who called on the Federal Government and the national leaders of the PDP to caution the party chief, however, commended the police for arresting four of the perpetrators.

He wondered why a highly respected man “would stoop so low to attack innocent people including pregnant woman sake of his party was not being popular in his hometown”.

But the Director of Publicity of the PDP, Mr. Ayodele Fadaka, in a telephone interview with our correspondent alleged that the LP members were the aggressors.

Fadaka also denied his party members’ involvement in the destruction of the LP secretariat.

He said, “It was the LP members that launched attacks on our members in order to intimidate scores of the people who dumped the LP for our partyduring the ward congress rally we held on Saturday.

“Since the electoral process started in the state, the LP members have always being on the aggressive side and the police had been supporting them.

“The part also destroyed its secretariat in order to create an impression that they are on the siege. We therefore call on the police leadership to investigate the matter with all the seriousness it deserved.”

However, Olabisi said, “We are amazed at the level of fury unleashed on our supporters in Owo by the thugs of the PDP who destroyed, shot at people, and machete them.

“They did this because of the fact that the people of Owo rejected them and refused to be cajoled into coming out to witness their rally on Saturday.”